Introducing The Backfields

Discussing the next step in our prospect coverage

About four years ago I started as a contributor to Prospects Live, where I had the great fortune of learning from evaluators and prospect writers who now work for big publications and big league clubs alike. It was surreal at the time, and it remains so today. I contributed to a lot of work and wrote a lot of words while there, and none of it was more strenuous than serving as the Director of Pro Scouting. Sometime during the summer of 2022, we collectively decided to develop the 2023 Scouting Handbook, and I ended up not just writing 30-40% of the scouting reports but also editing what seemed like every word submitted by others. It was an undertaking, to say the least, and it hopefully illustrates my experience in this field. My work on that project also served as the inspiration for this website. Although I loved my time with Prospects Live, The Backfields promises to be my first time venturing out beyond my comfort level and working within my own rules, of which I’m not sure there are any. Such is journalism and the nature of prospect coverage.

The purpose of this post is simple: I want to introduce myself, define my vision of The Backfields, and further express my expectations of the site.

The Backfields began as a podcast in 2023, and it’s something both I and one of my best friends - Adam, who readers may either already know or will become accustomed to - continue to operate outside of this site with the aforementioned Prospects Live. Our goal with the audio version is to simply discuss less heralded prospects and topics that perhaps don’t get the coverage they deserve, and I think that mostly extends to what I’m trying to do with the written version. Podcasts have a very clear benefit: they allow us to briefly discuss any number of prospects and exploit short attention spans or even shorter drives to work. They also have a very clear weakness in that I am unable to provide a fully formed opinion that otherwise requires, at times, verbose language or, at the very least, an opportunity to aptly describe someone. Off-the-cuff riffs amongst friends and scouting report highlights are one thing, but being able to rationalize a personal opinion is much more satisfying and, in my opinion, rewarding to a follower. Thus, this Backfields scratches an itch at a personal level and, ideally, at the readership level, too. We’re in this together.

My goal here is to create a platform that allows me the space I need to discuss prospects that aren’t getting the attention they need for an audience who can’t find the coverage they need. I will not be using a special formula or relying heavily on analytical models but instead will utilize my eyes and traditional scouting. I don’t promise to have the best opinions or be right in my evaluations, but I feel confident enough about my interests and abilities to create a product that either doesn’t exist or supplements a limited market.

Here are my planned series:

Prospect Profiles

I wrote many long and detailed pieces during my tenure with Prospects Live, and my favorite piece was always the one where I could key in on a specific player or set of players. Many of those articles came in the form of Live Looks, although I also did my fair share of video scouting that culminated in my Sunday Six Pack - a lengthy feature on Prospect Live’s Patreon - which focused on, naturally, six prospects each week. Many of the covered prospects fit the mold of those I’m now hoping to cover: rookie ballers and younger prospects who may be off the radar.

These pieces largely identify a prospect’s tool set and provide my observations and rationale for how the prospect projects. Tool grades and scouting jargon will be heavily used, as will various advanced metrics when I’m permitted to share them, but I’ve always been more focused on the why when it comes to projection. Much of these articles will be dedicated to that question. I will also offer long-term predictions on the player when appropriate.

One spin-off of these profiles will be a series entitled “The Eye Test,” which will be entirely focused on identifying those prospects who fit within certain prospect archetypes - i.e. “the tall boy,” as is often mentioned on the podcast.

League Previews

Primarily focusing on rookie ball only affords so many league previews, but this series will be a heavy hitter in May and June. I penned an iteration with Prospects Live last year, and I fully expect to do the same in even greater detail moving forward. I plan to introduce and evaluate many players across every team prior to games kicking off, beginning with the complex leagues in May and the Dominican Summer League about a month later. Whether you’re a general baseball fan or fantasy fanatic, many of these players will be the backbone of The Backfields’ ongoing coverage throughout the season. The nature of rookie ball breakouts also means I won’t hit them all and will have plenty of prospects to cover once games get underway. A preview is a preview, and the meat and potatoes will come much later once we have more information.

Prospect Portfolios

Readers and prospect hounds can find endless Top Prospects lists scattered across the internet, some of which I’ve contributed to. While I will probably create my own at some point in the future (these lists really do drive traffic), my preferred option is to instead present prospect portfolios. This is a concept that I’ve toyed with for almost a decade and formally pitched elsewhere, however nothing has ever come of it. Manning my own site will allow me to formally introduce it.

A prospect portfolio is ostensibly what it sounds like. Whether we want to think of them as such, prospects are investments, and I will present system information in a numerical, graphical, and written manner that conveys the long-term value and sustainability of each team’s farm system. This will make more sense when properly presented, but I suppose an alternative conceptualization would be a “state of the system” that includes scouting reports and positional pros and cons.

The caveat to my approach is this: I’m going to be primarily focused on the bottom of farm systems. It’s the nature of The Backfields. While there may be some discussion of prospects further along in their development (which, ideally, happens because this site has seen them grow and rise through the ranks over the course of multiple years), I instead strive to keep my attention on the lower levels of the minors. It’s the most fun. And the most unknown.

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I have other scouting series planned, including a weekly review of the Dominican Summer League, but I will also dabble in fantasy baseball content. I fully recognize prospect hounds exist largely due to dynasty leagues and, while I think much of my work and scouting in general translates, I will still provide fantasy-specific content as much as possible.

My first planned fantasy series will be named “Buying Potential,” and is simply meant to identify undervalued prospects in the lowest levels with substantial fantasy upside. I also plan to summarize much of my weekly work into a “Fantasy Files” newsletter-type article that highlights past work and provides additional fantasy context.

I also reserve the right to deviate from this plan. It’s the lawyer in me.

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Before wrapping this post up, I need to lastly discuss the nature of the above work. The tentative plan for The Backfields is to be a one-man show with periodic guest columnists. The minor leagues are a vast body of baseball, and I’m not going to be in a position to offer opinions on every player. While I may someday possess both the time and resources to turn this site into a full-time gig, I currently do not. I will do my best to stick to a consistent schedule, but this is ultimately a passion project and creative outlet that will begin as a free resource to those who choose to visit.

And, with that, I want to thank you for visiting.